Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft has now passed, and the Kansas City Chiefs made a small trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to move down to No. 32 and draft one of my favorite prospects in this year's class in Josh Simmons.
Coming into the draft, Simmons was the sixth-ranked player on my Chiefs big board, and he fell right into their hands. Brett Veach was also able to move down one pick to add a fifth as well, bolstering their ability to add on day three.
Simmons is my top-ranked pure tackle in the class, and is someone who should be a perfect fit in Kansas City. Simmons is potentially the best pass blocker in the class, with great quickness, a strong anchor and good hand placement to make an impact on the edge. By the time the Chiefs were up, Simmons was the best player available and felt like the clear pick.
Offensive tackle was the biggest need for the Chiefs this offseason, and they have done all they can to address the position this offseason. They signed Jaylon Moore to a two year deal to play left tackle and many hoped Jawaan Taylor would step up this season. But Kansas City took no risks with Patrick Mahomes under center, and added depth and a future star tackle in Josh Simmons with pick 32.
Simmons started his career at San Diego State where he played right tackle before transferring to Ohio State and proving to be a dominant left tackle in the BIG 10. Simmons is one of the most polished players in the draft, and was easily a top-10 talent in my eyes, but fell due to injury concerns after he tore his patella tendon this season and missed most of the year.
Keeping Patrick Mahomes clean is priority one for the Chiefs this offseason, and Brett Veach was not taking any chances with his 500 million dollar investment. Simmons immediately becomes the best tackle on the Chiefs roster if he's healthy, and he will compete for a starting job day one in Kansas City. The Chiefs got the best guy on the board and my favorite option for the team in the first round.
They will be back with three picks tomorrow and several incredibly talented players still on the board. This is just the beginning of the draft, and I always say that you win the draft on day three, but the Chiefs got off to a great start with their first round pick with a potential cornerstone of their offensive line going forward.